baymule
Garden Master
The title says it all. If you are offended by raising pigs for slaughter and consumption, stop reading here. This thread is going to be about raising pigs to slaughter weight and will end with pictures of supper. 
Thought we were going to get blue-butts, but when we got there, there was a pen of black pigs with white markings which I knew to be Berkshires $$$$ and some solid black pigs which I hoped
to be maybe half Berkshire. This guy raises Berkshires for show pigs for the FFA and 4-H kids in his area and he gets some good prices for them. He sells the ones that don't make the cut for show pigs as feeder pigs for $200.00 
I wanted cheap pigs......
Sure enough, they were 1/2 Berkshire!
And the other half was Large Black, another desirable heritage pig! 
We got 2 girls and 1 boy (used to be boy) 
He had probably 15 pigs in a very small enclosure. In case ya'll haven't been keeping up with the weather in Texas, we've had LOTS of rain, like floods and all kinds of weather. We haven't flooded, but last weekend we got 3" and the weekend before that we got 13"! So add a LOT of rain, a bunch of pigs, and you get MUD. Add in pig poo and you get SLICK SMELLY MUD. SLOP!
The man, Mike, went in the pen, one look at my husband told me I was elected to go in the pig pen to help catch pigs.![:\](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/side.png "side :\")
My husband had pulled the trailer up beside the pen with the escape door to the pen. Perfect for putting pigs in the trailer! 
Mike tried to catch pigs, pigs ran around the pen, I tried to guide them to him and got splattered with pig poo for my efforts. 
Mike went and got a hog panel and wired up one end to the pen wire, leaving the other end open. I walked the pigs in the gap and Mike closed it and wired it shut.
I went out of the pen, stood next to my husband and Mike captured a black pig. My husband and I reached over the pen, Mike lifted the pig, we each grabbed a hind leg and we all swung the pig in the open side door. One down. We repeated it twice more, then my husband drove his truck, skidding in the mud, through the gate and onto solid ground. Whew! Pig Wranglers! Oh Yeah!
When we hooked up the trailer this morning, we had a flat.
Our neighbor, Robert, brought his compressor over and aired it up. When we got to the first little town, I checked the tire, one glance told it all, flat. 
Pulled in a tire store and it had a hole in the sidewall. Bought a new tire.
When we got home with our piggy trio, DH backed the trailer up to the garden gate, we placed plywood as a ramp, also to keep the little suckers from escaping under the trailer and we let them out. They took off for the far corner, DH pulled the trailer away from the gate and Robert shut it. I got them feed and hooked up 3 water hoses for fresh water. They wanted nothing to do with me, feed, water, Robert, my husband, nothing. Just huddled in the corner.
I just looked out there and they all three have their little heads shoved off in the feed. Eat and grow big little piggies!
Their names are Bacon, Sausage and Pork Chop. I think Robert is partial to Pork Chop (the boy) so Bacon and Sausage will belong to us and Devonviolet from BYH. We are raising the pigs. We were going to raise one for ourselves to split with our DD and family, Robert doesn't have a place for a pig and pigs like company, sooo...... Devonviolet thought it was a great idea and wanted a pig too........ so there we are. We'll split the cost of the feed and everybody gets a pig!
They are in out garden area, it is deep in pine shavings and horse manure from a horse event center not far from us. They can plow it up all winter and in spring, go to slaughter and we'll have a enriched garden spot. The garden is around 70'x100' so plenty of room for them.
They haven't even glanced at the Hawg Hut we are so proud of!
http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/hawg-hut-or-goat-or-sheep.18321/
So this is the start of a fun project raising our own meat, knowing how the animals were raised and treated and what they ate. My husband waited all his life to become a pig farmer!
Thought we were going to get blue-butts, but when we got there, there was a pen of black pigs with white markings which I knew to be Berkshires $$$$ and some solid black pigs which I hoped
to be maybe half Berkshire. This guy raises Berkshires for show pigs for the FFA and 4-H kids in his area and he gets some good prices for them. He sells the ones that don't make the cut for show pigs as feeder pigs for $200.00 I wanted cheap pigs......Sure enough, they were 1/2 Berkshire!
And the other half was Large Black, another desirable heritage pig! We got 2 girls and 1 boy (used to be boy) He had probably 15 pigs in a very small enclosure. In case ya'll haven't been keeping up with the weather in Texas, we've had LOTS of rain, like floods and all kinds of weather. We haven't flooded, but last weekend we got 3" and the weekend before that we got 13"! So add a LOT of rain, a bunch of pigs, and you get MUD. Add in pig poo and you get SLICK SMELLY MUD. SLOP!The man, Mike, went in the pen, one look at my husband told me I was elected to go in the pig pen to help catch pigs.
My husband had pulled the trailer up beside the pen with the escape door to the pen. Perfect for putting pigs in the trailer! Mike tried to catch pigs, pigs ran around the pen, I tried to guide them to him and got splattered with pig poo for my efforts. Mike went and got a hog panel and wired up one end to the pen wire, leaving the other end open. I walked the pigs in the gap and Mike closed it and wired it shut.I went out of the pen, stood next to my husband and Mike captured a black pig. My husband and I reached over the pen, Mike lifted the pig, we each grabbed a hind leg and we all swung the pig in the open side door. One down. We repeated it twice more, then my husband drove his truck, skidding in the mud, through the gate and onto solid ground. Whew! Pig Wranglers! Oh Yeah!
When we hooked up the trailer this morning, we had a flat.
Our neighbor, Robert, brought his compressor over and aired it up. When we got to the first little town, I checked the tire, one glance told it all, flat. Pulled in a tire store and it had a hole in the sidewall. Bought a new tire. When we got home with our piggy trio, DH backed the trailer up to the garden gate, we placed plywood as a ramp, also to keep the little suckers from escaping under the trailer and we let them out. They took off for the far corner, DH pulled the trailer away from the gate and Robert shut it. I got them feed and hooked up 3 water hoses for fresh water. They wanted nothing to do with me, feed, water, Robert, my husband, nothing. Just huddled in the corner.
I just looked out there and they all three have their little heads shoved off in the feed.
Eat and grow big little piggies!Their names are Bacon, Sausage and Pork Chop. I think Robert is partial to Pork Chop (the boy) so Bacon and Sausage will belong to us and Devonviolet from BYH. We are raising the pigs. We were going to raise one for ourselves to split with our DD and family, Robert doesn't have a place for a pig and pigs like company, sooo...... Devonviolet thought it was a great idea and wanted a pig too........ so there we are. We'll split the cost of the feed and everybody gets a pig!
They are in out garden area, it is deep in pine shavings and horse manure from a horse event center not far from us. They can plow it up all winter and in spring, go to slaughter and we'll have a enriched garden spot. The garden is around 70'x100' so plenty of room for them.
They haven't even glanced at the Hawg Hut we are so proud of!
http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/hawg-hut-or-goat-or-sheep.18321/
So this is the start of a fun project raising our own meat, knowing how the animals were raised and treated and what they ate. My husband waited all his life to become a pig farmer!
